Joe Thorn

The conference has been very good. For details check out Timmy Brister’s blog.

Someone told me that there were around 50 “Reformed” conferences this year. I can’t confirm that, but it doesn’t surprise me. Tim Challies lists 18, and a Google search turned up others. Whatever the number, the increase of such conferences speaks to the growth of the Doctrines of Grace in our American churches. Back in 1983 when the first Founders Conference met in Memphis, TN there was only a small handful of Reformed conferences to attend. Today, I hate having to choose between them all, but this is a fantastic frustration. Throughout any given year now we have gospel-centered gatherings that emphasize a Reformed perspective. These conferences are varied in subject, audience and location. Besides the general subjects other emphases like pastoral ministry, mission(s), youth, college/student, worship, history, art and culture give greater opportunity for the Reformed tradition to demonstrate the transforming power of the Gospel and the truth of God. Such gatherings not only reveal the spread of Calvinism, but contribute to it.

Here’s what I’m thinking about. What if all this is more than mere religious activity and theological curiosity? What if all this is connected to the work of God in his church? Could all of this be the precursor to revival? I hope that it is. I love conferences like this, but am always hoping for something greater than a conference. And I have reason for such hope. The great historic revivals have happened when the gospel was plainly preached, when grace was exalted - when men were simply doing what God calls all Christians to do. Jim Elliff explains,

Many are unaware that Jonathan Edwards was preaching a series on justification by faith alone when revival came to New England, or that the many of the Scottish revivals, for instance, were precipitated by the preaching of series on regeneration, or that the highly doctrinal book of Romans has an illustrative history as a tool of great revival of the kind I am speaking. Sound doctrine was at the core of revival.

Revival is not the fruit of innovation, creativity or even extraordinary works. It is the an extraordinary work of God through the very normal means of grace. At the very least, the kind of preaching we hear at the Founders Conference is the kind of preaching God uses to bring about his reviving influence.

I am staying in a hotel in Tulsa, OK for the 2007 Founders Conference. You know the Founders Conference right? This is where hyper-Calvinists gather to plot the takeover the the SBC while drinking beer, cussing, and… wait - am I confusing the Calvinists with the “missional” guys? I guess it depends on what Southern Baptist talking head you listen to. The truth is, the Founders Conference is a great time of biblical teaching, good fellowship and humble hearts. At least, that has been my experience. Yes, the teaching is coming from an Evangelical/Reformed/Baptist perspective, and I am grateful for it.

There has been a lot of chatter (and slander) about the Reformed population in the SBC, and a lot of speculation concerning this more recent “resurgence” of our theological heritage. I wonder if it is because people have tired of man-centered Christianity and in their search for the truth have discovered the sovereign Redeemer of the world revealed in the Bible. Or perhaps it is because our emphasis on the inerrancy of Scripture has lead to the rediscovery of the sufficiency of Scripture which has lead to the dismissal of various speculative beliefs and the embrace of many biblical doctrines long forgotten. Is it because of God’s gracious purpose in raising up men like R.C. Sproul, John Piper, Mark Dever, and others in the preaching of the true gospel of grace with great influence? Is it the precursor to revival? I don’t know. But I do believe that more people, especially within our younger generations, will discover and embrace a more Reformed theology because they do not feel a sense of obligation to tradition, or title, but rather have a radical dependence on the Scripture. Instead of asking, “Is this Southern Baptist?” they are asking, “Is this right?” We should all be asking such questions and allow the Scripture to give us the answer. For the record, I believe we all need to ask this question from within every perspective. Especially within our Reformed traditions. It is far too easy to become proud and think one system has settled every question. As a Calvinist I must not ask, “Is this Reformed?” but, “Is this right?”

Anyway, I am not sure how much blogging I will be doing while here but my good friend Toe Blister will be live-blogging the whole deal. So watch his blog for all the happenings.